Arodys Vizcaino Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
The Braves have announced that closer Arodys Vizcaino has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. The procedure involved a labrum clean-up and the removal of scar tissue.
This news represents a major hit to a Braves relief unit that was already under fire. That’s true of many other clubs — including several division rivals — but that doesn’t make it easier to bear. A.J. Minter, the club’s other top option for the ninth inning, has scuffled out of the gates. Others in the bullpen currently include Wes Parsons, Luke Jackson, Jesse Biddle, Shane Carle and Chad Sobotka, although of that bunch, Carle and Sobotka have struggled quite a bit in the season’s first few weeks.
The Atlanta organization isn’t short on promising arms in the upper minors, though the bulk of their top-regarded arms are in rotation roles. Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright opened the year in the big league rotation, in fact, though each has since been optioned down to Triple-A Gwinnett. Southpaws Luiz Gohara and Kolby Allard are both starting at the Triple-A level as well.
Right-hander Mike Soroka, arguably the most promising young arm the Braves have in-house, didn’t appear to be an option in the hours leading up to the news on Vizcaino’s shoulder. To the contrary, Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweeted that afternoon that it’s likely that Soroka will be recalled to start tomorrow’s game for the Braves. He’ll at least temporarily step into a rotation that is expected to get top starter Mike Foltynewicz back by the end of the month.
It won’t go unnoticed that there is still a rather prominent free agent reliever still left unsigned. Long-time Braves closer extraordinaire Craig Kimbrel held talks earlier in the winter but failed to come to terms with the value-conscious Atlanta organization. He’s still reportedly seeking a multi-year deal; the Braves will be loath to commit to a lengthy accord, but Kimbrel’s leverage may be on the rise as late-inning relief units falter around baseball.
Signing Kimbrel before the June draft would cost the Braves a pick in the 2020 draft, as Kimbrel rejected a qualifying offer from the Red Sox upon conclusion of the 2018 season. Nevertheless, the on-paper fit is now more pronounced than ever, and fan outcry for the organization to broker a reunion with an already beloved franchise icon has been audible since late in the offseason.
The Braves kicked off the winter with a high-profile signing of Josh Donaldson but then went largely dormant, negotiating only small-scale returns for Brian McCann and Nick Markakis. At the time of the Markakis signing, general manager Alex Anthopoulos spoke of the contract’s below-market rate perhaps giving the team flexibility to make further moves down the line — in addition to Braves leadership already having spoken of increased spending capacity earlier in the winter — but that has yet to come to fruition.
As for Vizcaino, the injury may well prove to be the end of his Braves tenure. The hard-throwing righty entered the season with five years, 168 days of Major League service time, meaning he’s already now surpassed the six-year service mark needed to qualify for free agency. Perhaps the Braves will look to retain him on a bargain contract next offseason, but Vizcaino will have the ability to listen to offers from any and all interested parties. He’ll quite likely be forced to settle for a one-year deal with a low base salary and plenty of incentives, if not a minor league contract, as teams throughout the league look at him as a potential bounceback candidate. He won’t turn 29 until November, though, so at the very least, Vizcaino will have age on his side in free agency.
Matt Moore To Miss Remainder Of Season After Knee Surgery
Tigers lefty Matt Moore is slated to miss the remainder of the 2019 season, the club told reporters including MLB.com’s Jason Beck (Twitter link). While the procedure was known, the prognosis comes as quite a surprise.
It had been expected that Moore wouldn’t be sidelined for more than six weeks or so, as he was slated only to undergo a common procedure to address a meniscus tear. The reason for the change in the outlook isn’t yet known, but something obviously didn’t go as anticipated.
This news represents poor fortune all around. The Detroit organization will come away with little to show for the $2.5MM it invested in Moore last winter. And Moore won’t get a full shot to boost his value before reentering the market.
The 29-year-old southpaw did turn in two scoreless outings, compiling nine strikeouts against one walk over ten frames, before going down with what seemed to be a minor injury. That included a promising jump to a 14.5% swinging-strike rate, so it’s at least conceivable that some teams will have seen enough to make an investment in the still-youthful hurler based only upon that limited showing.
Moore follows Michael Fulmer in suffering a season-ending injury. It seems the Tigers will now have little choice but to give a full run to Daniel Norris, who is facing something of a make or break year. Other depth options include Ryan Carpenter and Matt Hall. The club may at some point also take a look at some of its lauded young pitching prospects who don’t yet have 40-man roster spots.
Brad Miller Elects Free Agency
The Indians announced today that infielder Brad Miller has elected free agency after clearing waivers. Recently designated for assignment, Miller had expressed some frustration with the organization’s decision and preferred not to take a spot at Triple-A.
This move puts an interesting player back onto the open market. The 29-year-old is a fairly accomplished left-handed batter with some defensive versatility. He opened the current campaign with forty plate appearances of .250/.325/.417 hitting and ought to be ready to hit the ground running with a new club.
That being said, Miller may still need to take up residency with an affiliate for a stretch before returning to the majors. He could have been claimed had any team really wanted him on its active roster. After all, he was slated to earn only $1MM for the season under the deal he inked with the Indians. (Having signed an advance consent clause, the club must pay only for about a sixth of that amount.)
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/17/19
We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post …
- The Dodgers have a minor-league deal in place with lefty Chris Nunn, he announced on Twitter. Nunn, a former 24th-round draft pick of the Padres, has reached the upper minors in past seasons but hasn’t received many opportunities there. He’s now pumping triple-digit heat, though that wasn’t enough to convince the Rangers to keep him around after he spent camp with the Texas organization this spring. The 28-year-old has carries a 4.16 ERA in 257 2/3 minor-league innings, with 10.1 K/9 against 5.0 BB/9.
Cardinals Place Harrison Bader On 10-Day IL, Promote Lane Thomas
The Cardinals announced an outfield roster switch this morning. Harrison Bader is headed to the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain while Lane Thomas will join the active MLB roster for the first time.
Bader’s placement is retroactive to April 14th, so he’ll be sidelined through at least the 23rd. There’s no indication to this point that he is dealing with a significant injury, but it was obviously enough of a tweak to require a dedicated period of rest. Bader, the club’s regular center fielder, joins fellow outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the shelf.
That combination of injuries has opened the door for Thomas. After a 2018 upper-minors power outburst, the 23-year-old was added to the 40-man roster last fall to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He’s off to a .229/.383/.286 start through 47 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.
Phillies Option Nick Pivetta
10:07am: Reliever Tommy Hunter was pushed to the 60-day injured list, opening the needed 40-man spot. He will not be eligible to return to the majors until the end of May.
9:36am: The club has announced the move and selected the contract of infielder Phil Gosselin. He’ll take the open active roster spot but will also need a 40-man slot, meaning that another transaction is still coming.
9:19am: The Phillies have made an early-season change in their rotation by optioning down struggling righty Nick Pivetta, Matt Gelb of The Athletic is among those to cover via Twitter. He’ll be replaced in the starting five by just-recalled righty Jerad Eickhoff, with a corresponding roster move as yet unknown.
This is a notable move for a variety of reasons. Among other things, the team’s control rights are implicated. Pivetta entered the season with 1.129 years of service and now sits at 1.149. He’ll need to be on the active roster for at least 23 more days this season to pass into a new service class. The demotion all but ends any possibility that he’d be a Super Two player this fall.
Service time considerations surely didn’t drive this decision. The Phils are locked in an intense divisional battle and need every bit of quality they can muster on the MLB roster. Pivetta just hasn’t had it; through four starts and 18 1/3 innings, he has coughed up 17 earned runs on 31 hits with a 16:8 K/BB ratio. His swinging-strike rate has dropped from 12.0% last year down to 8.5% in 2019.
It makes sense to allow Pivetta some time to work things out; likewise, it’s understandable that the club wishes to give Eickhoff an early run in the rotation. He has already shown the ability to be a high-quality MLB hurler, with a 3.87 ERA through 385 2/3 innings. Injuries intervened, but the hope now is that he’s ready to return to his previously established ceiling.
Eickhoff, now 28, certainly had a promising season debut yesterday against the Mets. His velocity was back at its customary 91 mph level. Eickhoff threw four scoreless frames in relief, striking out six while allowing just three baserunners. That stood in contrast to Pivetta’s own, messier effort over the first five innings of a contest that turned out to be a rotation face-off.
This switch is notable, but doesn’t come with particularly high stakes for the team. Pivetta can always be brought back up; he’d be a fascinating multi-inning relief candidate if there’s no need or desire to return him to a starting role later this year. If neither pitcher is up to the task, there are alternatives. Enyel De Los Santos, Ranger Suarez, and Drew Anderson all have 40-man spots, prior MLB experience, and rotation jobs at Triple-A. The summer trade market should offer some opportunities. And there’s always a possibility that the Phils will come back around to still-unsigned veteran Dallas Keuchel, who was a reported target at times over the offseason.
Mariners To Sign Christian Bergman
The Mariners have agreed to a minors deal with righty Christian Bergman, according to the Mariners Minors Twitter account (link). He’ll head to Triple-A Tacoma, per broadcaster Mike Curto (via Twitter).
Bergman, who’s closing in on his 31st birthday, has seen MLB time in each of the past five seasons. That includes brief time in each of the prior two campaigns with the Mariners. Through 215 2/3 career frames at the game’s highest level, Bergman carries a 5.59 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.
Greg Bird Out At Least A Month; Yankees Select Mike Ford
4:15pm: Bird will miss “at least” a month of action, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (Twitter link via Newsday’s Erik Boland).
9:47am: The Yankees have selected the contract of first baseman Mike Ford, per a club announcement. Fellow first baseman Greg Bird is heading to the injured list with a left plantar fascia tear, with a 40-man roster spot created by shifting outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to the 60-day IL. Jimmy O’Brien of Talkin’ Yanks had the news on Ford’s promotion this morning (Twitter link).
It’s more tough news for Bird, who was already scuffling in the batter’s box. The 26-year-old has dealt with a litany of injuries already in his career. Now, he has a potentially tricky new malady to overcome. Details on his anticipated timeline aren’t yet clear, but Bird will surely require a lengthy stretch on the IL. Plantar fascia tears can require up to a month in a walking boot even before the real rehab work starts.
Ford is also a 26-year-old, left-handed-hitting first bagger. When Bird debuted with the Yanks in 2015, though, Ford was working out the kinks at the High-A level.
There have been some ups and downs since, with both power and patience on display when he’s going good. Across 532 upper-minors plate appearances in 2017, Ford posted a .270/.404/.471 slash with twenty home runs and a snazzy mix of 94 walks and 72 strikeouts. Last year, the Princeton product sagged to a .760 OPS at the highest level of the minors.
Ford has been firmly on the risk so far in 2019. An afterthought in spring camp, he has burst out of the gates back at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Through 45 trips to the dish, Ford carries a .410/.467/.897 batting line with five long balls and four walks to go with seven strikeouts.
Brewers Activate Jeremy Jeffress, Place Freddy Peralta On 10-Day IL
As expected, the Brewers have activated reliever Jeremy Jeffress from the injured list. He had opened the year on a rehab assignment while rebuilding arm strength.
That’s good news for the pen, but the club surprisingly announced another shoulder ailment that impacts the rotation. Freddy Peralta is evidently dealing with a problem in that joint; details remain unknown.
Peralta’s spot on the roster will be occupied by fellow righty Aaron Wilkerson, who was recalled. The Brewers also optioned down righty Jake Petricka to make way for Jeffress.
Last night’s outing was another rough one for Peralta, who has failed to record more than ten outs in three of his four starts. He was lights-out in the other, an eleven-strikeout, scoreless gem, but carries a 7.13 ERA for the season.
Marlins Select Isaac Galloway
The Marlins have selected the contract of outfielder Isaac Galloway as part of a minor early-season roster shake-up. Also joining the active roster is lefty Jarlin Garcia.
Shortstop JT Riddle was dropped back down on optional assignment. The club opened the other necessary roster spot by placing righty Austin Brice on the 10-day IL with gastroenteritis.
Galloway battled for ten seasons in the minors before finally debuting last year in Miami. The 29-year-old lost his 40-man spot this spring but earned his way back up by popping four long balls in his first forty plate appearances at Triple-A to open the present season.